1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a synthetic bale that controls water flow at construction areas.
2. Background of the Prior Art
At many construction sites including road work projects, it is necessary to control water flow, soil erosion and sediment flow through and around the construction area. The current method for such control is to secure one or more hay bales in and around the areas of desired control. While using a standard hay bale works generally well, the hay bale comes with many drawbacks.
The hay bale, by being a natural product, can come laden with weeds and other contaminates that can cause substantial environmental damage at the construction site. The hay bale is relatively heavy and bulky making installation and removal of the hay bales difficult. The hay bale has a relatively short life span and must be discarded after its useful life. During unusual climatic periods, hay may be in short supply and therefore difficult to get to a construction site.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system that controls water flow, soil erosion and sediment flow in and around a construction site that overcomes the above drawbacks. Such a system should not be a natural product that is capable of transporting weeds and other contaminants and introducing the contaminants to the construction site. The system should not be unusually heavy and bulky to handle and should not have a relatively short shelf-life. Ideally, such a system will have a use after its initial usefulness has run.
The synthetic bale and method of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs in the art. The present invention provides water flow, erosion and sediment flow control at a construction site without undue drawbacks. The invention is an industrial product that has minimal risk of weed spread. The synthetic bale is not unduly heavy and is relatively easy to handle. The synthetic bale has a relatively long life span and can be recycled after its initial usefulness has run.
The synthetic bale and method comprise a water permeable sheet member that is rolled up, the sheet member being made from packed carpet fibers. The carpet is ground up into its original fiber size on the order of a couple of inches in length and these fibers are then formed into the sheet member 12. The sheet member is formed by any appropriate technique known in the art for producing such sheet members including needle punching (the fibers are formed into a batt and then introduced into a needle punch machine wherein the fibers are interlocked mechanically as the needles of the machine have spaced apart barbs thereon and the barbs, as the needles move up and down pickup the fibers and lock them together), stitch bonding (a batt is formed and then stitched in a linear or cross direction to hold the batt together), chemical bonding (a batt is formed and then held together by introducing a chemical solution such as latex Acrylic, or other binder), and thermal bonding (low melt fibers are introduced into the batt and then batt is heated causing the low melt fibers to melt to hold the batt together). The sheet member is secured to the ground by passing a stake therethrough. The sheet member is received within a cover, the cover being formed from an appropriate mesh material and one or both ends of the cover are tied or otherwise closed off. If multiple synthetic bales are positioned along a lateral axis, then one sheet member is partially received within the cover of any adjoining sheet member and vice versa.